A shot from the wing by freshman guard Ty Hoglund that rolled in with seconds left on the clock gave the Quarriers a thrilling 55-52 win against Spearfish Saturday night.

Playing in the Mitchell as a part of the DWU Classic, the Quarriers and their hot west river opponent – Spearfish recently beat two Class AA challengers – traded buckets all night.

The Quarriers trailed by six at the half.

Dell Rapids head coach Jason Fersdahl said it seemed that ever time Bryce Koch scored one of his 16 points for the Quarriers, Spearfish had an answer, especially late in the game.

“The final quarter was back and forth,” he said. “Spearfish answered every bucket we scored with either a three pointer or a putback basket off of a rebound.”

It was Hoglund’s last possession shot that helped the Quarriers avoid overtime. Hoglund scored seven points.

Also contributing for Dell Rapids’ offense was Cole Langer with 11 points and Zach White with 10.

Koch led Dell Rapids with nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

“I was happy to see our team respond to the adversity by coming out and playing outstanding in the third quarter to take a two point lead heading into the final quarter,” Fersdahl said.

The night before in Dell Rapids, the Quarriers didn’t need a last minute shot to win against fifth-ranked Dakota Valley. Dells beat the Panthers 66-53.

The Quarriers started strong, moving the ball with efficiency early which opened up good looks and led to a 14-7 lead after one quarter of play.

“This basketball game really had the feel of a post-season game and I felt our team responded very well,” Fersdahl said. “We had an outstanding defensive effort, especially in the first half, and we really made Dakota Valley work for any good scoring opportunities they got.”

Dells led 35-20 at the half, and never let up.
Offensively, we were aggressive and we were able to score in transition as well as in the half court,” Fersdahl said. “We did a good job of taking care of the basketball, and we did a great job of working the ball inside and not settling for perimeter shots.”

The Quarriers committed only eight turnovers.

The victory secured at least a tie for second place in the Big Sioux Conference for the Quarriers, who finished their regular season conference schedule with a 5-2 record.

Leading scorers for the Quarriers against the Panthers were Langer with 22, Koch 14, Spencer Kerzman seven and Hoglund, Matt Kolbeck, and Jacob Morris with six points each.